National Benchrest Centrefire Championships

The National Benchrest Centrefire Championships were held over Easter at the SSAA Captain’s Mountain range near Millmerran in Queensland. Spread over some 5000 acres this outstanding venue caters for the majority of SSAA disciplines as well as providing accommodation and spacious camping areas.

The first event to be decided was for unlimited rifles, which have few restrictions. Many shooters used rail guns, which under some conditions have a distinct advantage. Ten shot groups are required, and the best of these was a neat .162 shot by Steve Blaine. The 100 yard aggregate was a popular win for Ron Sinclair, who used his benchrest rifle to produce a winning .2654 aggregate, from Milan Morrell on .2822 and John Babic on .2930, the latter two using rails.

The longer yardage was shot in some tricky conditions which proved to be the undoing of many and made for a challenging afternoon. The best group was shot by Michael Thompson with a .412, one of only two groups to go under the half inch mark. The aggregate was won by John Babic on .2972, second was Paul Sullivan on .3125 and Michael Thompson third on .3148.

In the grand aggregate standings John Babic took the gold medal with .2951, from Michael Thompson on .3164 and Ean Parsons third on .3276.

Easter Saturday, and it was Light benchrest rifle time – rifles not to exceed 4.763kg in weight. Tiny groups were the order of the morning and the best of these was a .122 shot by Richard Winckel. The aggregate however showed a comfortable win for John Gnech on .2196 from Paul Sullivan on .2306 and Ron Sinclair on .2390.

At the longer yardage some remarkable groups were shot – the smallest of these was a .278 from Les Fraser. The aggregate saw a good win for Josh Russell on .2182 from Paul Sullivan on .2305 and Thomas Thompson on .2630.

Light benchrest winner was Paul Sullivan who made few mistakes to record .2306 from Josh Russell on .2458 and Annie Elliott on .2598.

The heavy benchrest event is usually where we see the smallest groups and this year did not disappoint. Conditions were good and on his fourth card Ean Parsons produced an outstanding .090 for smallest of the morning. This helped him to win the aggregate with an excellent .1652 well clear of Annie Elliott on .2008 and Will Greer on .2402.

The afternoon continued the trend, and the smallest group was an amazing .203 shot by Kerrie Moore, no doubt using her own manufactured bullets. The aggregate win was also impressive with David McKillop on .2107 from Michael Thompson on .2165 and Will Greer on .2344

The heavy benchrest winner was Ean Parsons on .2219 from Annie Elliott on .2288 and Michael Thompson.

The final event for this years Nationals was for the sporter class which requires rifles not exceeding 4.082kg in weight, which means that in the 6mm PPC calibre they can be quite lively to shoot. At the shorter yardage, it was David McKillip who produced the best group with a .152. The aggregate however went to Mitchell Taller on .2546, from Michael Thompson on .2592 and Les Fraser on .2808 – these aggs are indicative of the conditions.

It was tough going at the longer distance, but Paul Sullivan’s .269 group was the smallest seen. The yardage saw a clear win to Ean Parsons with .2503 from Michael Thompson on .2795 and Mitchell Taller on .2887

The sporter grand aggregate winner was Michael Thompson on .2693 from Mitchell Taller on .2717 and Ean Parsons on .2880.

So, in the wash up, the weekends results looked like this:-

Two-Gun Champion

The Two Gun (light and heavy) Champion was Annie Elliott, making a successful return to centrefire benchrest, and her .2443 was the best score from Paul Sullivan on .2531 and Ean Parsons on .2547

Three-gun Champion

The Three Gun (Sporter, light and heavy combined) Champion for 2025 was Ean Parsons on .2658 jut ahead of Michael Thompson on .2665 and Paul Sullivan on .2725.

Four-Gun Champion

The most prestigious trophy in centrefire benchrest is the Four-Gun trophy, and this year it was Michael Thompson on .2790 from Ean Parsons on .2812 and Paul Sullivan on .2869

Hall of Fame

The Australian Benchrest Hall of Fame requires a shooter to obtain 10 points for entry and this year both Ean Parsons and Michael Thompson achieved this milestone. Congratulations to them both.

Full scores may be seen on the Benchrest Australia website at www.benchrestaustralia.com